The Department of Public Health

Fields of Responsibility:

Health promotion and preventive medicine

Health surveillance/health registers

Nutrition and food safety

Medicines

Gene Technologi

Alcohol and drug dependency issues

The main tasks of the Department of Public Health are related to health promotion and preventive medicine, health surveillance and health registers, nutrition and food safety and alcohol and drug addiction issues. Its areas of responsibility include environmental health protection, protection against contagious diseases and the prevention of HIV/AIDS, tobacco prevention and control and measures to promote increased physical activity. 

The department has the main responsibility for the government`s food and nutrition policy, including drinking water. The department is also responsible for legislation concerning cosmetics and legislation related to the contained use of genetically modified organisms. Furthermore, the department is responsible for general alcohol and drug policies, interministerial coordination of activities to combat drug abuse and holds a particular responsibility for the prevention of drug addiction. The department is responsible for management and supervision of the production, import and distribution of medicines, with a particular emphasis on legislative and financial measures, including the reimbursement scheme for those with medical expenses above a certain limit, the blue prescription system. Finally, the department is responsible for radiation protection and for preparing contingency plans to ensure nuclear safety.